Halicarnassus
The Halicarnassus, sometimes just known as the Hali, is a specially modified Boeing 747 plane which was once owned by Saddam Huissein and then Jack West Jr, primarily piloted by his friend Sky Monster. History Early History The Halicarnassus was originally one of Saddam Huissein's many escape planes hidden around the country, for in case he ever needed to flee. When Jack West Jr was in Basra, he stole the Halicarnassus in order to escape certain death, and claimed the plane as his own, retaining it's name. Huissein was reportedly furious as the Halicarnassus's theft, wanting it back right up until the time he was captured. After a mission to find the Golden Capstone and protect the daughter of the Oracle of Siwa was made between seven countries, Jack allowed the Halicarnassus to be flown and looked after by the New Zealand Air Force pilot, Sky Monster. During the time they spent protecting Lily in the team's Kenyan farm, Jack kept the Halicarnassus in a hidden hanger, where Max "Wizard" Epper modified the plane's engines with a Retrograde Thrust System to make it capable of VTOL. Seven Ancient Wonders Once the mission began, the Halicarnassus was used to ferry the team to the locations of the Capstone pieces. When the team was fleeing from the Commander-in-Chief's In Extremis Force on their swamprunners, Sky Monster used the Hali to pick them up. When Jack and the team decided to free Mustapha Zaeed from Guantanamo Bay, they used the Halicarnassus as a distraction while Jack and Zoe Kissane broke in. Because the team used rubber bullets in the Hali's turrets, the Marine forces assumed the situation was an exercise, realising the truth far too late as the Halicarnassus escaped to Jamaica. When Jack decided to engage the CIEF forces at Giza, Sky Monster flew the Halicarnassus in towards the pyramid before engaging the VTOL in order to maintain an optimal altitude, much to the shock of the Americans. While Sky Monster manouvered around the pyramid, firing missiles at enemy aircraft, Pooh Bear used one of the gun turrets. At the end of the battle, Jack threw Marshall Judah's safety harness into the Hali's engine. The Six Sacred Stones Jack kept the Halicarnassus at another hidden hanger on his new farm in Australia, which when invaded was used to help Jack and his friends escape to the United Arab Emirates. The Halicarnassus was damaged during the team's escape from Abu Simbel, having one of its engines destroyed, and Sky Monster remained with the Hali until Solomon Kol 's friends arrived with repair supplies. The Five Greatest Warriors The Halicarnassus' forward landing gear was damaged by Carnivore's men in the Dead Sea. Julius and Lachlan Adamson helped Jack launch it using a jeep as a crude replacement for the landing gear, sending it off on its final flight to the sixth Vertex on Easter Island. Jack, knowing he would not be able to land it safely, intentionally crashed the Hali into the entrance of the Vertex, where it was washed inside by a tsunami. In order to prevent Carnivore from placing the pillar, Jack released the remaining wing, crashing it into the battlement before the Vertex. After Lily used the Sixth Pillar's power to weaken a portion of the battlement, the Halicarnassuss' weight soon caused it to crumple, taking the Halicarnassus and Jack West Sr with it into the deep chasm. Attributes Interior The Halicarnassus' main cabin contains a comms room, barracks and Jack's office. The hold is used to store many kinds of terrestrial vehicles, and is capable of using a grappling hook to bring in anything hooked on. Stealth It features black radar absorbent paint, odd multi-angled edges and has had its location transponder removed. VTOL Flight Wizard modified the Halicarnassus' engines to with electromagnetic Retrograde Thrusters to allow it the ability to hover when facing directly upright. This was used in Seven Ancient Wonders during the battle at the Great Pyramid of Giza. Whether or not it was capable of performing this feat again afterwards is unclear. Trivia *The Halicarnassus was named after an ancient Greek city located in Turkey. **The city was also the site of the sixth Ancient Wonder, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (however in the novel the Wonder's resting place was changed to the fictional Hamilcar's Refuge). *The plane's name was etched into the hull when Jack liberated it, and he decided to keep it because he liked the name. Category:Aircraft Category:Vehicles Category:Seven Ancient Wonders Category:The Six Sacred Stones Category:The Five Greatest Warriors Category:Technology